Not Guilty
by dreamweaver2
Summary: On the road again. No where to run. No where to hide. The world seems to have turned against them.


**Chapter 1**

**What an interesting way to meet…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the original characters from Maximum Ride… it makes me sad. Tear**

"_How the he-eck do they keep on finding us?" _Max hissed in her head, Total bouncing in her arms. Their feet pounded through the crowded cobblestone alleyways of London. Fowl Erasers trailing them, pushing passerby out of the way. Both sides knew that neither could morph here (or in the flocks case reveal their wings), unless if they wanted to create a scene… not that there wasn't one already going on or anything, oh no.

They turned a sharp corner, the Erasers losing sight of them for a minute. A door opened harshly, and a pair of hands grabbed Max and Iggy, pulling them inside. Max swung a punch, only hitting air. A girl with orange brown hair was halfway across the room, pulling a staircase from the ceiling.

"Get in!" She barked. The flock turned to Max, all asking the same question. Max nodded. They raced up the stairs, entering a small, empty room. As Max trotted up, the girl looked up at all of them.

"I'll be back." The girl promised, closing the opening. Max twirled to the flock.

"The minute she opens that door again, we're out of here, ok?" The others nodded.

"What if she-" Max clamped Total's mouth shut. The flock leaned down to the cracks, listening intently.

"Six kids and a dog? No sir, I haven't seen anyone like that." The girl addressed the Erasers.

"Do you mind if we take a look around?" A rough and yet charming voice asked.

"No. Come on in."

"_If she trades us in I'm gonna snap her arm or something!" _Max hissed in her head.

The floorboards creaked as the Erasers began searching the tiny home.

"Where does this lead to?" An Eraser asked, just below them.

"Oh, just storage." The girl said casually. "Are you guys like… supermodels or something?" She asked, her voice squeaking from excitement.

"Yeah, something like that." The Eraser answered.

"You kind of look a bit lean considering what most men look like in a magazine. You know, extremely overly buff." She rambled on.

"Yeah, well, they decided they wanted a change in their look." He began to reach up. Max held her breath, the hand stretching closer to them. She watched as the light that poked through the cracks began to darken. There was nothing to hide behind or under and there were no windows to make a sooner escape. She saw no other choice; they would just pounce on them and run.

"Wait sir!" Max saw the girl grasp the part wolf's arm, seemingly in alarm. "I did see them!"

_"Oh, crap." _Max ground her teeth.

"They ran into the house across the street! They seemed in a bit of a hurry. Are they like fugitives or something?"

"Yeah, you see them, call the police and have them locked up." The Eraser motioned to head out across the street, door slamming behind them. There was a moment of silence. Max let that breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, out in a long steady stream.

"Stay up there for a little longer, just to be safe." The girl addressed them, without looking up. It was strange how quiet the girl's natural voice was.

"Won't they just be turned around here?" Max asked, her words thick with suspicion.

The girl laughed, "No. It's an old woman across the street. A bit crazy that lady is. She thinks that a man named Roger lives over here. She can keep _anyone_ over there for hours at a time." The girl laughed again, walking away to their left. There was loud clattering of pots and pans, and pulling things out. There was a small click and a hissing. Iggy took a deep breath.

"She's cooking." He reported.

"Thank God someone is. I'm starving!" Total groaned. Five minutes later, they were released. Half-blinded, the flock climbed down the ladder.

"I figured you guys might be hungry." The girl smiled.

"Yes!" Nudge said at once. Max put a protective arm in front of her.

"Why are you helping us?" Max looked at her suspiciously. The girl stopped, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Because I was in the same position as you… I figured that it was the right thing to do to help you guys."

_"What, are you a genetically engineered hybrid running for your life with a guy who can talk in your head, who had to leave behind her parents and has to save the world?" _Max thought, _"No, I'm not bitter in the __**slightest**_._"_

"Sit down, it'll be done in a minute." She flipped ham in a pan, squeezing some sort of fruit in. She turned to a salad, dumping chopped carrots and celery in.

"Can you set another plate for Total?" Angel patted the small spot next to her. The girl glanced at Total, and nodded without question.

"What's your name?" Nudge asked innocently.

"Hmm? Oh, it's Willow." Willow smiled, and turned first to Fang. "And you are?"

Fang spouted out the first name he could think of, "I'm Nick."

"James." Iggy nodded.

"I'm Tiffany." Nudge piped up.

"I'm King." The Gasman stood straighter in his chair.

"I'm Celeste." Angel beamed.

"Samantha." Max answered.

Willow looked at all of them and suddenly burst out laughing.

"Ok, ok, enough with the jokes, what are your **real **names?" Willow asked.

The flock exchanged looks.

"What do you mean? These are our real names." Max puzzled; her throat feeling like it had closed up.

Willow looked them over once more; "Ok, ok, I'll play along. It's nice to meet you all." Willow came over to the table with plates.

"Do you want help?" Nudge asked.

"No I'm fine." Willow set the plates down. The flock gazed at them, practically drooling. Angel stopped Total from digging in.

Willow began setting the rest of the plates down, "Ham and pineapple, salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and-"

"Rosemary olive oil bread." Iggy murmured.

"The chef of the family?" Willow laughed.

"The best and the only." Iggy gave his most dazzling lopsided grin.

The flock poked at their food, examining it.

"What?" Willow glanced at them all; her voice was then coated with sarcasm, "You don't think I poisoned it or something do you?" They all turned their gaze (or in Iggy's case lack of gaze) at her. Willow sighed, and walked behind Max. She cut off a slice of ham and chewed it.

"It's fine." Willow took a mouthful of salad, clearly enjoying it, before taking a bit of bread. They simply stared at her.

"Yes, but how do we know that you didn't poison **their **food." Max raised an eyebrow. Willow laughed, her hands clutching her sides.

"That's ridiculous! If I had any intention of killing you, why would I keep you alive? No offense to everyone else, but you seem like the leader around here, wouldn't it be most logical for you to be one of the ones to die first?" Willow raised an eyebrow. And with that, the flock began shoveling the food down their throats.

"Maybe I should've made more…" Willow giggled.

The Gasman nodded his mouth bursting from the multiple forkfuls of food. Willow walked back into her small kitchen, putting more ham on the frying pan.

"Delicious!" Total smiled. Angel quickly coughed and swallowed some water.

"So tell me about yourselves." Willow asked over the sizzles of cooking. Everyone took a glance at Max.

"We're runaway orphans." Max lied, congratulating herself in her head. Willow nodded as she processed the information.

"From where?" Willow flipped a piece of ham.

"From…" Max stumbled.

"Ireland." Fang replied. Max smiled at him.

"Ireland? How long were you there for?" Willow held a suspicious gaze from the corner of her eye.

"A year and a half. Out parents- adopted parents- died six months ago." Iggy explained, crunching down on his bread crust. Max had to hide a grin. Her flock could lie so well! Granted you shouldn't be proud of that but, hey! It loses it's "bad mark" if you lie well, right?

"My condolences." Willow set a plate stacked high with ham and pineapple on the middle of the table… that was immediately consumed.

"That bad, huh?" Willow dug through the pantry for more bread.

"It was awful." Angel moaned, lips pouting, her eyes sparkled with (fake) unshed tears.

"I know the feeling." Willow murmured thoughtfully, not paying attention to the bread she was carving.

"Were you an orphan?" Nudge asked. Willow smiled and placed the bread on the table.

"Was and still am."

"So you live here all by yourself?" Max waved her fork around the room.

"Just me."

"So you must have a job." Iggy grabbed two more slices of bread.

"I do. Two actually. I work at a good grocery store and at a Laundromat." Willow shrugged.

_"Angel, is she telling the truth about all this?" _Max thought.

_"I don't know." _Angel furrowed her eyebrows in concentration.

Max turned slightly to Angel,

_"What do you mean you don't know?" _Max asked gently.

"I do chores for my neighbors as well. It's not a lot of money, but added together it gets me by." Willow continued.

_"I can't get in her head." _Angel's head looked as if it was about to explode.

_"Is she not human?" _

_"She- _

"Celeste…" Willow shook her head.

Everyone froze.

"What was that for?" Max tensed up, ready to spring out the door or through a window… or anything to get away.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. I was just trying to figure out what origin that was from." Willow stirred up some more salad, and sat down. "So tell me about your adventures."

"Well… we each had chores to do in the orphanage, so we were separated into separate sections of the building. If we didn't do them correctly…"

"I basically lived in-" Iggy began when the door burst open, Eraser's flooding the house. Willow launched herself from her chair, over the table, landing securely on the floor. She spun catching one of them with her foot, lending him a pair of invisible wings. He lifted himself to his feet, launching a kick, before striking her cheek with his fist. She managed to lock his arms behind him back, forcing his head into the wall several times. Max had leapt up, attacking the first Eraser she saw. She began with a kick that was easily blocked. Using that as an anchor, she raised her other leg, aiming for his other side. Blocked again, but got both of his arms out of the way. Max clutched her fists together, using her stomach muscles to swing herself, attacking him between the legs. The Eraser howled in incredible pain, immediately releasing Max. She ducked and rolled out of the way as Fang grabbed his chair, locking it around that Eraser, throwing him in to the closest wall. Iggy went into combat with another, each blocking and attacking with a dizzying speed. Iggy flicked open his lighter, setting the Eraser's shirt on fire. Being preoccupied in not going completely ablaze, he was open for an attack. One swift hit in the temple, the wolf-boy fell. One of the enemies, realizing the opportunity to get the little ones off their hands, trudged over to Nudge. She stood, readying herself. He aimed a blow for her head; Nudge dropped down and twirled on her hands, easily tripping him. Gazzy kneed him in the stomach, feeling the air whoosh out of his lungs. The final Eraser wrapped his arms around Willow, rendering her defenseless. Angel jumped onto his back, locking her arms around his neck. The guy attempted to shake her off, with no success. From lack of oxygen, his grip relaxed, slowly sliding to the floor. Willow rolled out from under him, dumping him on the ground.

Willow rushed around collecting chairs and rope, tying the enemies securely down. She wiped the blood from her cheek and turned back to the flock.

"So… you were saying?" She smiled.

Their jaws fell as they sat and watched her.

"What? Oh," Willow chuckled as she realized she just had smeared blood across her face. She stood and walked to a cabinet above the sink. Feeling their stares drilling into her skull, Willow slowly turned around.

"What?" Willow raised an eyebrow.

"What was that?" Fang asked on behalf of them all.

"Uh…" phased for a moment by the fact that Fang spoke of his own accord, she answered, "getting rid of a problem."

"Am I the only one who says that we deserve an explanation?" Iggy and everyone else raised a hand.

"Is it a crime to know how to defend yourself?" Willow placed her hands firmly on her hips.

"Yeah, but fighting _that_ well?" Max questioned, actually now quite interested... and even more suspicious.

"I just… I learned it." Willow shrugged.

"From who?" Max continued.

"People back at the orphanage. What's with the sudden questioning? I could be asking the same thing of you."

There was a slight pause in the room.

Max growled in her head, and looked outside, "It's getting late we should go." Max stood the rest of the flock standing reluctantly.

"Wait! We both have questions for each other, so it would make sense if you stayed. Besides, you're on the run, and now we have hostages that we can interrogate. I have the room, granted not much, but it can work." Willow argued.

"Max, she makes a valid point." Iggy murmured, his voice too low for Willow to hear, "Besides, even if she is… one of them, wouldn't it be better to have her trust now so we can check her house than being thrown out onto the street to sleep in a Subway?"

Max sighed, and glanced around at the flock. She saw the eager faces with the puppy dog eyes. Though, Angel's expression was more of a "I can't get into her head and I want to know why **now**!" She glanced at Fang, who gave her a slight nod.

"Ok."

**A/N: I'M ALIVE!!**

**Ok, so this is my first Maximum Ride fanfic. I know gasps all around. Things seem to being going well so far. I hope the fight scene was ok... it took me forever to get it satisfactory... By the by, the description of the Erasers will be explained… eventually. :)**


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